


ready and willing

by stardating



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Canon-Typical Violence, Espionage, Hopeful Ending, Imprisonment, M/M, Magic, War, jail breaks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21536284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardating/pseuds/stardating
Summary: The kingdom has fallen to corruption and greed at the hands of an evil king. It would be a fool’s errand to try to change that.But when has that ever stopped him from doing what was right?
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Kudos: 25





	ready and willing

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by “Ready As I’ll Ever Be” from the Rapunzel television series, but my brain has decided to completely turn it upside down and backwards.
> 
> Lots of subversions of the song and overall plot it was inspired by.
> 
> Also, totally un-betaed, once more.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

A cold wind whistled through a narrow window.

“Any moment now, Your Highness,” he whispered.

Despite knowing the plan inside and out, dread and adrenaline ran through Steve’s veins. The room he was in was circular, completely made of stone, and hundreds of feet in the air. Guarded at all times, the sliver of a window barely allowed for any light to ever get inside. It was easily defended, hard to infiltrate. One wrong move and they could easily be cornered or fall. And in a few moments, he would be committing high treason. It was one thing to protest and encourage reform, to get into the faces of corrupt police officers and yell, but to do this—

Next to him, Tony gave him a flash of a smile. It was hard to see in the darkness of the tower they were in, but that was Tony: always bright.

If the situation were not so serious, he was sure Tony would quip that this was cliché. Kidnapping a king from a locked tower, though it lacked a dragon.

Steve would have preferred fighting a dragon.

In the distance, there was a fiery explosion that shook everything, even the floor of the tower they were in. Men shouted, word spreading quickly of an attack.

The guards outside the chamber’s doors left, being ordered by a messenger to give support, as there were apparently rebels all over the castle.

He and Tony waited a few moments, until everything became silent, save for the distant fighting.

Tony whispered a spell and blue light flooded the chamber.

Steve kicked down the wooden door easily.

“I know I’ve sunk pretty low, but this needs to be done,” Steve whispered as they went down the long tower stairs and into the main corridor of the western side of the castle. Everything was deserted, men leaving their posts to fight the main battle that should now be in the throne room. He once knew this castle like the back of his hand, but even though he still knew the layout and recognized every brick and archway, it felt completely foreign to him.

“Steve—”

“Quiet,” he hissed, grabbing the back Tony’s shirt and pulling them back against a wall.

Tony dimmed his light. A regiment of soldiers ran past them, swords and other weapons clanging, not one even glancing their way or clearing the hallways like untrained squires.

“Idiots!” some commander or another shouted. “Leaving the dungeon undefended! I’ll have their heads!”

Though maybe their idiocy was a good thing.

Steve made a move to continue on, but Tony grabbed his arm, stalling him, even though they needed to pick up the pace. It would not be long before their escape was discovered and they would recognize the main battle as the distraction it was. “It’s not your fault.”

Steve tried to send him a smile, but it came out more like a grimace. There was so much that was his fault; so much that could be put at his feet.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

* * *

“Now?” Clint asked, holding his drawstring taunt.

“No,” Natasha said.

A moment passed.

“No,” she repeated before he could ask again.

Below them, nobles were partying like there was nothing wrong. Like thousands of their vassals and countrymen weren’t starving or wasting away in dark jails for petty crimes and the slightest insults to the king. Like their enemies weren’t looming on the horizon with armies and their allies were slowly slipping away, not wanting to be associated with their kingdom. Like they hadn’t betrayed—

Earlier that evening, Natasha stood before Clint and dozens of others to go over the plan one more time. They all knew that this plan had risks; some of them might not make it back.

But Sam, Rhodey, Clint, Bruce, and dozens of others all swore fealty once more.

That was it.

In a corner of the ballroom, hidden among some of the deeper shadows candlelight and champagne could not banish, a soldier gave her the slightest hand signal.

Clint saw it and didn’t hesitate to let the exploding arrow fly.

Chaos erupted.

Nobles scattered. Soldiers grabbed their swords.

But when everyone was drunk and you had the best archer in the land and other highly killed soldiers armed with magic and alchemy on your side?

Natasha allowed herself a small, satisfied smile as she drew out her knives.

She would have fun, taking vengeance upon all these corrupted fools.

* * *

The rest of their escape did not go as smoothly.

“You!” a general bellowed.

Steve dodged the man’s sword and Tony shot him with a blast of magic.

Men surrounded them, each trying to land a killing blow. The hallway was narrow and long, designed for moments just like this. Not that Steve wanted to be in the position of the one having to fight for his life against dozens of enemies.

“Steve!”

There was a familiar ‘zing’ in the air.

Steve caught his shield with practiced ease and used it to knock out another solider about to run Tony through with a spear. It felt good to have his favorite weapon in his hand once more, the weight of metal comforting when little else was. Bucky charged into the melee, slamming his fist into a different man’s jaw with a sick crack. Steve lost track of how many men they had to take down until Tony sent a long beam of magic towards him, using his shield to magnify and spread it around the hallway. Men attempted to dodge it, but it was a long practiced and favored move of theirs. Soon, there was nothing but groans, rubble, and dust.

“So, what happened to stealth?” Bucky asked, out of breath as men laid at their feet.

Tony rolled his eyes. “What do you think?”

“Come on,” Steve said, grabbing Tony’s hand. “We need to keep going.”

* * *

“Report?” Fury asked, keeping his telescope out, just in case.

The fires growing steadily inside the castle walls were telling.

“Not as quietly as they would have liked,” Coulson said. “But they are out and Natasha’s team is providing to be quite the distraction.”

“Good.”

Behind him, representatives from other nations waited nervously inside a meeting tent some hours away from the capitol.

Tonight was going to determine the fate of the rest of the continent.

If everything went according to plan.

* * *

Clint let out a loud cheer.

“Go, big guy, go!”

In the middle of the courtyard, among more soldiers and armored knights, Bruce—also known as The Hulk—was battling dozens on his own with ease. Cursed with a wrathful, monstrous form, they had hoped to not need to call for his services.

But then the king brought out another battalion he had hiding in the stables.

Natasha stabbed a man about to hack Clint into pieces.

“Focus!”

Above, Sam and Rhodey were taking out men with their alchemized wings, frightening more people along the way. There were dozens of abandoned swords and spears littering the ground.

The moon was high above them.

The night was hardly over.

* * *

“Sir,” Coulson said.

Fury stood up straighter. The representatives all hastily stood up.

In front of them, the castle burned.

In front of them, Fury saw that all of his soldiers returned, more or less unharmed. Clint looked like he had jumped into too many hand-to-hand fights again. Natasha had a split lip, but he was sure the person responsible for that was dead. Rhodey and Sam dropped their metal wings off the moment they could, still out of breath from hours of flight. Bruce had a blanket wrapped about his shoulders, but looked steady and calm. Good.

In front of them, King Stephan rode up, flanked by Anthony Stark and James Barnes.

He looked thin and wane from his imprisonment, locked away in a tower like some sort of war trophy for nearly a year. It had been difficult organizing a coup when the person they wanted on the throne was literally inaccessible, but they managed it. The castle was in disarray. The true king was finally free. They had captured multiple enemies of the state.

There was still the threat of Warlord Schmidt coming back with more armies, as it was reported he somehow escaped the burning throne room, but they had dealt him heavy blows that night. It would take him time to regroup and by then, they would be ready for him.

Now the real work could begin.

“Good to see you again,” Fury said, extending his hand as Steve climbed down from his horse.

Steve clasped his hand. “Thank you, General Fury. I don’t know how I can repay you all.”

“Let’s hope we can work out peace and get rid of Schmidt.”

Steve stood up straighter and gave him a single nod.

* * *

Hours later, the sun barely coming up, Steve collapsed onto a thin sleeping pallet. Tony automatically reached out, letting Steve rest on top of him. He was exhausted from fighting and haggling with about a dozen people for peace and war reparations and being in a tower for months on end. He was still furious beyond all belief and horribly saddened at the state of his kingdom. Reports and second-hand accounts were nothing like seeing it for himself, but that was Schmidt: greed and corruption and hatred and injustice all rolled into one.

He and his armies were known and feared throughout the known world, but so few kingdoms were willing to ban together to put a stop to his terrorizing.

Until now.

“Think we can do this?” Steve asked.

Everything was quiet, save for wind and crickets.

Tony pulled him into a heated kiss.

Gods, if it weren’t for Tony, none of this would have been possible. On the day Schmidt attacked, it had been completely unexpected. Some nobles immediately pointed fingers to Tony and others that were closest to Steve, but he knew Tony. He would never endanger their people, let alone allow a madman like Schmidt to run amok and take over. But they had been caught unprepared, unaware. It was all Steve could do to convince Schmidt to keep him as a prisoner and distract him long enough that Tony could get everyone he could out alive.

After that, it was a long and tedious waiting game of espionage and planning. In between planning this attack and pleading for aid from his allies, Steve wracked his brain, trying to figure out why he didn’t see this betrayal coming sooner or why he could not have figured out that Schmidt was coming for them on his seemingly random pillaging spree. Did he not enforce the laws fairly? Was he not merciful whenever he could be? Did he not keep them out of war, give people aid during famine and drought? Did he not do all he could to be a good king?

If it weren’t for Tony being able to use magic to visit him and help organize his escape, he would have gone insane in that barely lit tower. Even though he still felt guilty, and he would regret having to burn down his own capitol, Tony was right: someone else’s betrayal was not his fault.

At least he could make a difference now and give his people hope.

“You know I do,” Tony said, voice full of conviction and eyes burning bright.

Steve smile and closed his eyes, pulling Tony closer. He took in a deep breath, smelling smoke and fresh air, the scent of hot metal and magic, the honey soap Tony always managed to keep on hand.

It was a new day.

He was free and his friends were beside him.

He was finally with Tony again.

The road to victory would be long and hard, but he was ready as he would ever be.


End file.
